Case history
Case history #1
A 65-year-old man, who smokes and has a history of hypertension and peripheral vascular disease, now presents with increasing frequency and severity of chest discomfort over the past week. He reports that he previously had chest pain after walking 100 metres, but now is unable to walk more than 50 metres without developing symptoms. The pain radiates from his chest to the left side of the neck and is only eased after increasing periods of rest.
Case history #2
A 45-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes (diagnosed when she was a teenager) presents to the accident and emergency department with abdominal pain, nausea, and shortness of breath that woke her up from sleep.
Other presentations
Unstable angina may present without chest pain or with ‘chest pain-equivalent’ or non-characteristic symptoms, especially in younger and older populations; female patients; or in the presence of diabetes, dementia, and renal failure.[1][3][4][5] Non-characteristic symptoms include dyspnoea, indigestion, epigastric or abdominal pain, dizziness, syncope (usually related to severe pain), sweating, and weakness.[1][3]
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